The Tormented Mind
by Sayuri-Star
Summary: D/Hr, anyway Hermione finds out about Draco's uknown secret by accident and then finally begins to understand his negative behavior.. PLZ READ AND REVIEW
1. Default Chapter

The Tormented Mind  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is created out the originality of J.K Rowling and has nothing to do in ownership to me.  
  
Hermione Granger grinned happily as Ron and Harry cracked yet another joke about that dimwit Malfoy for about the sixtieth time. They never seemed to get tired of plotting of ways to destroy Draco Malfoy or about getting him expelled. The trios were on their way to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the sixth year in the coming. At that moment they were compiled into one compartment at the end of the train: Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny.  
  
"And then we'd push that rat face diving from a hundred-foot building and that will be the end of that" finished Ron from yet another crazy and never going to happen plot about killing Malfoy. The others cracked up in gales of laughter when suddenly their compartment door was flung open and in came a pale-faced boy with flashing silvery-blue eyes with two large and hideous boys side-by-side almost as in bodyguards.  
  
"Oh, so Weasly decided to crack some scum-based joke about me so you can finally start earning pennies one by one so that someday you'll be able to own some shack that would probably seem like paradise to you" said Draco with a cruel grin on his face. Ron flushed red with anger and was about to step up to Malfoy when Hermione stopped him with one of her hands shaking her head.  
  
"Oh, so mudblood here is now your little girlfriend and surveyor from trouble, guess she had to be free or else you wouldn't have been able to afford it!"  
  
Ron who had already flushed from anger and had just barely resumed to himself blushed this time out of both embarrassment and anger. Hermione however had just walked up to Malfoy and smacked him across the face. "How dare you just walk into this compartment thinking you own the place and start throwing completely hideous insults, now just get out of my face!" said Hermione in a quietly yet fierce way.  
  
Draco was shocked for a moment at the impact but then resumed to himself then smirked and his azure eyes had a look of amusement in them, "Am I that uninvited mudblood?"  
  
"Well no duh." Said Harry joining into the conversation.  
  
"I wasn't asking you Potty the Boy-Wonder, why don't you mind your own business and start paying attention to that little red Weasly over there who would probably make a half-decent girlfriend to you." Snapped Malfoy.  
  
Ginny who had been standing in the background went scarlet with embarrassment while Harry fumed angrily within himself. "Don't talk to my friend like that Malfoy, she is definitely far and above any Slytherin slut you could possibly conjure."  
  
"Excuse me, if there happens to be a row happening here but we are five minutes from approaching Hogwarts here and you people need to get changed quickly!" said a Ravenclaw prefect entering the compartment.  
  
"Right then, lets go and leave the mudblood and mudblood lovers to themselves." Said Malfoy whirling around and leaving with the two thugs at his side.  
  
"That bastard!" growled Ron angrily. The others shook their heads and then separated to change clothes.  
  
  
  
  
  
They arrived at the annual beginning of the year Hogwarts Feast on the arrival of the new students. Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny were all seating at the Gryffindor table waiting and talking excitedly. Professor McGonagoll walked up with usual three-legged stool and the age-old sorting hat. She than began to read off the first name off the list: Auyon, Anne, a short little girl with silky black hair and hazel eyes walked up to the stool rapidly. For a moment she sat there, the hat the shouted across the hall: RAVENCLAW! And so on…  
  
Meanwhile at the Gryffindor table Harry and Ron had once again started off on another conversation about this year's Quidditch games that were going to be held this year while Ginny unawarily sat stirring mash potatoes and staring dreamy eyed towards Harry. Hermione giggled at the sight of her silly friend but decided to tell her for the fun of it. Out of some strange sense she turned her head towards the Slytherin table to stare disgustedly at how rowdy of a table they were. She deeply hated all the Slytherins especially the spoiled brat Draco Malfoy. But the thing that surprised her most was that instead of usually boasting about something or making fun other people likewise Harry for instance, he was sitting there quietly staring off into the distance. His silvery-blue eyes seemed to be out of focus and aiming towards no particular object. Suddenly his head jerked up in surprise and then for some reason looked directly at Hermione.  
  
Hermione though not quick enough averted her gaze. What was she thinking she thought to herself? For some reason as soon as she did look over at that…that spoil brat she seem to notice that he had the type of eyes in which anybody could get lost in and also he grown a bit over the summer making him seem…ACK! What was she thinking? She quickly shook off the thoughts.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile Malfoy who had immediately noticed that the mudblood had been looking at him, he smirked inwardly but somehow deep inside him a disturbing feeling arose in him making him feel the slightest bit of awkwardness.  
  
Hermione was lost in thoughts when suddenly she realized Ron was waving his hand over her face. "Wha-What?" she said waking from her thoughts.  
  
"Hello, Hermione where have you been drifting off too, its time to head back to Gryffindor Tower." Said Ron with Harry at his side nodding in agreement. "  
  
"Uh, yeah lets go then" said Hermione abruptly getting and walking swiftly towards exiting Gryffindors.  
  
"Is anything the matter Hermione?" asked Harry concernedly, "Why are you walking so fast, if there is a problem you can tell us after all we are your best friends.."  
  
"Oh its nothing Harry, I was just wondering if this year's subjects will be too difficult for me to get a good a score in." lied Hermione quickly.  
  
"Oh Hermione, give it up, we all know you don't only get a good score on every grade, you get a perfect score. Stop being a worry wart over the irrelevant." Said Ron  
  
"All right then ," said Hermione sheepishly grinning though in the corner of her eye she noticed Harry had a slightly disbelieving look on his face.  
  
"Really Harry, other than that I have a slight stomach ache but its nothing all to bad enough so that I need to go to Madam Pomfrey's for." Said Hermione quietly aside to him.  
  
"Oh good then." Replied Harry convinced.  
  
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The morning arrived quickly enough so that the fresh sunlight came streaming in through the castle windows. Harry, Hermione, and Ron all walked together to the Great Hall again for breakfast. They quickly found seats to sit in and began spreading strawberry marmalade onto their lightly toasted bread. Professor McGonagoll than arrived with their schedules and started to pass them out.  
  
Ron quickly scanned his schedule and than gave out a loud groan, "Aww man…look at this guys, we have to suffer three whole classes with the Slytherins: Care of Magical Creatures, Potions (as always), and Defense Against the Dark Arts, just plain grand."  
  
Harry groaned a loud while Hermione just shook her head warily. Breakfast ended abruptly as the other students all began to file out the Great Hall heading to each of their classes and there started the usual school year or as usual as anything could get.  
  
A couple of weeks passed with the usual air of events and for now everything was in place as they should. The Quidditch trials were coming up again and the first game of the season that was going to be played was between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw in which Harry could not stop himself from blushing at the thought of playing against the opposing seeker Cho Chang while both Ron and Hermione noticed immediately the slightly frusterated look on Ginny's face.  
  
It was Saturday morning in which both Harry and Ron had gone off to Quidditch practice (Ron had been added on the team as seeker the previous year) with a promise from Hermione that she would go and watch them after she finished the five scroll extra credit essay assigned by Professor Bins from the History of Magic.  
  
Hermione hummed happily as she rolled up her finished essay scrolls and put them safely in her drawer. She then walked out into the common and then straight out of Gryffindor Tower then out into the school lawn. As she was about to turn onto the Quidditch fields, out of the corner of her eye she noticed a figure standing near the shady corner of the Forbidden Forest somewhat near Hagrid's cabin. Out of pure curiosity and impulsiveness Hermione than switched directions and started to head towards the figure telling herself she was just going to check things out.  
  
As she neared the figure she quickly hid herself behind a tree and gasped in realization when she noticed the figure was none other the infamous Draco Malfoy. For a moment pure thoughts of vengeance and tattling on him to get him in trouble flashed through her mind when she noticed he was just standing there and doing absolutely nothing. She decided to get a closer look and that's when she noticed that his face was deathly pale or paler than it usually was. His eyes, to her surprise didn't have the typical look of malice or artifice in it but much like it had two weeks ago on the first day school on welcoming feast. They were still a silvery blue color that a strange distant look upon them.  
  
He looked different just standing there letting the wind blow against his black robes while whipping his light blond hair here and there. It seemed for the moment that for the first time in his life that he seemed like a young child with a very lost look in him or a look of sincere realization of the realities of life. He seemed to be taking deep breaths of air as if he couldn't have enough. Also he seemed to muttering something rather vaguely to himself.  
  
Hermione was completely thrown off by Malfoy's strange behavior and the strange fact that he looked kind of handsome just standing there with his tall figure staring into the nothingness of the distance.  
  
She was drawn by her gaze and unawarily started to walk towards him. She was about five feet behind him when she suddenly realized what she was doing. She stopped and to her horror felt herself accidentally trip over a stray rock that seemed to have just been noticed a step too late. Malfoy immediately whirled around hearing her and at the moment, strange enough, leapt foreward and caught her in his arms out of pure instinct. They both froze at the sight of each other, Malfoy was amazed to see a pair of pretty dark brown eyes staring up at him and Hermione, not thinking, was looking up lost in a pair of azure eyes that seemed to be staring into her deeply.  
  
Malfoy finally managed to croak out, "What are you doing here Hermione?"  
  
  
  
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Author's Note: Uh so whaddya guys think?? Sorry about all the grammar or spelling mistakes but I was to lazy to do a spell check. I think this fic is going along okay. If you have any thoughts or opinions or anything at all to suggest for me to improve on this fic, simply read & review!! Pretty Please? So that I will continue. BE nice, this is my first fic. 


	2. ch. 2

Chapter 2  
  
To Find out things not know before  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hermione what are you doing!?" a shout called out from a distance repeating Malfoy's exact same words except in more of an angry voice.  
  
Both Hermione and Draco quickly jumped away from each other while seeing both Ron and Harry running up to them, both with a look of fury on their faces.  
  
"What are you doing here Malfoy and what the hell are you doing holding Hermione in that way!" spat an extremely infuriated Ron.  
  
"Hermione, are you all right?" asked Harry quickly pulling her by the arm away from Malfoy. Hermione blinked and looked up in surprise into Harry's emerald eyes that had a concern look within them. "Uh, ye-yeah" stuttered Hermione back in reply. She turned to look over at Draco who was now being held by the collar with Ron's angry fist ready to strike. But the oddest thing of all, it didn't seem like Malfoy was doing anything to fight back, he would of surely pulled away or at least fight back with words now since Ron did seem a lot taller than Malfoy.  
  
"RON DON'T!" yelled Hermione aloud surprising herself, Ron, Harry, and Draco. Draco quickly pulled himself from Ron's loosened grip. "She's right you know Weasly, if you get caught trying to beat up someone especially me, my father would have you expelled faster than a blink of an eye." Smirked Malfoy resuming to his usual self  
  
"You're just scared of getting beat up since you're such a weakling Malfoy, but I have my own reasons for listening to her this time. But next time you won't get away with it." Said Ron fiercely.  
  
"Is that so Weasly? Then I already know your bluntly covered secret of a reason." Said Malfoy easily with a bit of a sly look on his face. "Well then, I'll just leave you dung heads to yourselves, you're beginning to stink up the air ." with that Malfoy turned and left.  
  
Ron blushed once again out of embarrassment at Malfoy's comment but then quickly shook his head and then turned back to Hermione, "Why didn't you let me beat the crap out of him 'Mione ?"  
  
Hermione shook her head awake from watching the retreating figure of Malfoy's back and the quickly to not acquire any suspicion from both Harry and Ron. "You heard him didn't you, he may be a jerk, but really Ron you have to start using your head when it comes to incidents like these."  
  
Ron sighed a bit resentfully, "Okay then"  
  
"Anyway to the point what was he doing to you anyway?" said Harry turning to face Hermione and arousing Ron again in interest as both boys stared at her waiting for an explanation.  
  
Hermione fought very hard to keep a blush from appearing from her face, she felt herself begin to burn up in embarrassment at the thought of what just happened. She knew she wouldn't be able to explain what happened after all, it just wasn't that sort of thing. "Oh nothing really, oh look Cho Chang!" said Hermione quickly and grabbing the chance to make a run for it while yelling, "I'm really quite starved, I'll head to lunch first then!" leaving both Ron and a crimson Harry blinking at her retreating back.  
  
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Hermione breathed out a sigh of relief she had managed to avoid Ron and Harry during lunch in hopes they would forget about the incident by the time tomorrow came. The library was such a peaceful place as she sat down to read a out a newly checked out a book containing intriguing interesting information about the several wonders of the ancient magical world.  
  
She was busily lost into the content of the book when suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Malfoy standing there with his penetrating blue eyes staring directly into her dark amber eyes. "Did you see me doing anything there Granger?"  
  
Hermione blinked, "Well you were just standing there…" "All right then" said Malfoy quickly ending the conversation while turning around . "Wait, but why do you ask." Said Hermione quickly getting up.  
  
Malfoy turned slightly, "It'd be a lot better if you stay out this Mudblood, now leave me be. I have my reasons." Draco breathed in a bit and eyed Hermione biting onto her lip, "Its really nothing of your concern." He started to leave again when Hermione caught up with him  
  
"Really Draco, why are you like this?" asked Hermione surprising both herself and Draco at the same. Draco felt himself turn around and stare searchingly into her innocent brown eyes. He quickly grabbed out her hand and began dragging her rapidly in a confusing direction following his pure impulses into a small dark desolate classroom.  
  
"Lumos" muttered Draco and a light flickered on shining upon the room revealing dusty unused desks and chairs all piled on top of each other. Hermione stared completely thrown off at surprise at Draco's face.  
  
"I don't know why I'm going to tell you out of all people, but if I don't tell anyone soon, I'll die without anyone ever knowing that need to know."  
  
Hermione nodded numbly at his comment and then waited to hear his explanation.  
  
Bit of a short chapter, but the next one will be up soon! Anyway thanks for the two reviews that I got. Other than the inspiration from that two reviews in from Emma and Kaetian (thank you very much) I really felt like I wanted to continue this so here it is and do please review!!!!  
  
Also, does anyone know how to control the review thing, I'll really except any review not just signed ones. 


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